Hat Tip Barking Moonbat Early Warning System
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
The Media Lied and People ...er Undied?
Well it looks like we’ve been had again. The sensational stories about rapes and murders in the New Orleans Superdome and Convention Center have all but evaporated. In an effort to sell papers or get ratings, the MSM parroted unsubstantiated claims about rampant lawlessness and horrific terror in the wake of hurricane Katrina.
But the stories are turning out to be lies. The New Orleans Times- Picayune said in an article Monday:
Based on reports from Mayor Nagin and others, FEMA expected to have to deal with hundreds of bodies, the victims of unchecked gangs of armed thugs. What they found was very different.
So what happened?
Some claim it wasn't intentional. When you get 20,000 people crammed together under deplorable conditions, someone may say something. That something will get repeated and exaggerated until the end result is unrecognizable from the starting story. That may be true but that in no way explains why the MSM ran with the stories without verifying them.
This wasn't your typical rumor mongering. These reports of anarchy and death fueled liberal imaginations and supplied ammunition in their never-ending campaign to malign George W. Bush. The President's approval rating has suffered because of the federal response to Katrina and I think the media saw an opportunity to rub salt in the wounds. They took every opportunity to pile it on higher and deeper, so long as the President and the administration was taking the blame. Now, after the damage is done, Nagin is backpedaling on his comments about people having to sit and watch dead bodies. (Remember also Mayor Nagin's initial estimate of the death toll was 10000. To date I think the official NOLA count is less than 1000) Others are saying that they were merely repeating stories they heard. The MSM is claiming that lack of technology prevented them from checking facts. Funny how lack of technology didn't prevent them from getting the story out.
People who were on the front lines during Katrina dealing with the evacuees and maintaining the order are understandably upset. The media made Louisiana look like some God-forsaken third world lawless hellhole with rape gangs and armed thugs. The truth is that the situation wasn't nearly that bad. The people behaved themselves for the most part in situations that would test most of us. Situations we hope never to have to face.
Hat Tip: Baldilocks
But the stories are turning out to be lies. The New Orleans Times- Picayune said in an article Monday:
Four weeks after the storm, few of the widely reported atrocities have been backed with evidence. The piles of bodies never materialized, and soldiers, police officers and rescue personnel on the front lines say that although anarchy reigned at times and people suffered unimaginable indignities, most of the worst crimes reported at the time never happened.
Based on reports from Mayor Nagin and others, FEMA expected to have to deal with hundreds of bodies, the victims of unchecked gangs of armed thugs. What they found was very different.
After five days managing near-riots, medical horrors and unspeakable living conditions inside the Superdome, Louisiana National Guard Col. Thomas Beron prepared to hand over the dead to representatives of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
Following days of internationally reported killings, rapes and gang violence inside the Dome, the doctor from FEMA - Beron doesn't remember his name - came prepared for a grisly scene: He brought a refrigerated 18-wheeler and three doctors to process bodies.
"I've got a report of 200 bodies in the Dome," Beron recalls the doctor saying.
The real total was six, Beron said.
Of those, four died of natural causes, one overdosed and another jumped to his death in an apparent suicide, said Beron, who personally oversaw the turning over of bodies from a Dome freezer, where they lay atop melting bags of ice.
So what happened?
Some claim it wasn't intentional. When you get 20,000 people crammed together under deplorable conditions, someone may say something. That something will get repeated and exaggerated until the end result is unrecognizable from the starting story. That may be true but that in no way explains why the MSM ran with the stories without verifying them.
This wasn't your typical rumor mongering. These reports of anarchy and death fueled liberal imaginations and supplied ammunition in their never-ending campaign to malign George W. Bush. The President's approval rating has suffered because of the federal response to Katrina and I think the media saw an opportunity to rub salt in the wounds. They took every opportunity to pile it on higher and deeper, so long as the President and the administration was taking the blame. Now, after the damage is done, Nagin is backpedaling on his comments about people having to sit and watch dead bodies. (Remember also Mayor Nagin's initial estimate of the death toll was 10000. To date I think the official NOLA count is less than 1000) Others are saying that they were merely repeating stories they heard. The MSM is claiming that lack of technology prevented them from checking facts. Funny how lack of technology didn't prevent them from getting the story out.
People who were on the front lines during Katrina dealing with the evacuees and maintaining the order are understandably upset. The media made Louisiana look like some God-forsaken third world lawless hellhole with rape gangs and armed thugs. The truth is that the situation wasn't nearly that bad. The people behaved themselves for the most part in situations that would test most of us. Situations we hope never to have to face.
As the Dome cleared out Sept. 3, Beron, the National Guard commander, fashioned a plan to deal with the dead. He knew of the six bodies in the freezer, but expected far more. He and an Ohio National Guard commander sent 450 Ohio troops to search every nook of the Dome, top to bottom. They told them to mark locations of bodies on a map of the Dome, to rope off suspected crime scenes, and leave a chemical light sticks next to each one so they could be retrieved later.My faith in humanity has been partially restored. My disgust at liberals and the media in particular has grown geometrically.
"I fully expected to find more bodies, both homicides and natural causes," he said.
They found nothing
Hat Tip: Baldilocks
A Day Off
Yesterday was my birthday and I took a day off. A day off from work, a day off from blogging, basically I sat around the house getting older. I started to feel guilty about not getting anything accomplished when I realized that sometimes you need to recharge. And that is what I did. I didn’t expend vast amounts of energy contemplating my existence and the ramifications of getting closer to 50. I just vegged. And it felt good.
Friday, September 23, 2005
Headlines for Friday 9/23/2005
Kate Moss Acknowledges Drug Use
By falling down, retching her guts out and babbling incoherently
North Korea Pledges to Drop Nuke Programs
Targets of these multi-megaton "programs" not revealed
IBM to Encourage Employees to Be Teachers
Company then plans to lower their salaries accordingly
Smoking Plus Beta-Carotene May Up Cancer Odds
People urged not to smoke carrots
Men, Women May Both Be From Mars
Unless they are Democrats, then they are from Uranus
Plague-Infected Mice Missing From N.J. Lab
Feds begin massive hunt for Pinky and The Brain
First Lady Tackles Poverty, Race Issues
Poverty thrown for loss, faces 4th and long, likely to punt
Katrina's official deaths top 1,000
Nagin still looking for 9300 bodies in New Orleans
Many Islands "Gone," Wetlands Gutted After Katrina, Experts Say
Looters claimed they needed islands and wetlands to survive
Mars getting warmer, may have quakes
Bush blamed for not signing Kyoto-Terra Meridiani accords
That's it for Headlines today. Remember to visit the usual suspects, basil, Moe, moehawk, The Capitalist and NOW also check out Eyes on the Ball News for more headliney goodness!
By falling down, retching her guts out and babbling incoherently
North Korea Pledges to Drop Nuke Programs
Targets of these multi-megaton "programs" not revealed
IBM to Encourage Employees to Be Teachers
Company then plans to lower their salaries accordingly
Smoking Plus Beta-Carotene May Up Cancer Odds
People urged not to smoke carrots
Men, Women May Both Be From Mars
Unless they are Democrats, then they are from Uranus
Plague-Infected Mice Missing From N.J. Lab
Feds begin massive hunt for Pinky and The Brain
First Lady Tackles Poverty, Race Issues
Poverty thrown for loss, faces 4th and long, likely to punt
Katrina's official deaths top 1,000
Nagin still looking for 9300 bodies in New Orleans
Many Islands "Gone," Wetlands Gutted After Katrina, Experts Say
Looters claimed they needed islands and wetlands to survive
Mars getting warmer, may have quakes
Bush blamed for not signing Kyoto-Terra Meridiani accords
That's it for Headlines today. Remember to visit the usual suspects, basil, Moe, moehawk, The Capitalist and NOW also check out Eyes on the Ball News for more headliney goodness!
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Monday, September 19, 2005
Breaking Out of Poverty
This week’s Homespun Blogger Symposium question is;
The answer is: We can’t. There has never been a historical precedent for eliminating poverty. Even the wealthiest nations have areas of dismal poverty. Jesus Himself said;
So if God Incarnate says that there will always be poor, I’m confident that no plan, program or government agency will eliminate poverty in this country.
But the question has a bit of a spin to it. It suggests that the poverty we have been made aware of in the past three weeks (mainly the Hurricane Katrina victims in New Orleans who were “too poor” to evacuate) is based on racial discrimination. Can we eliminate racially based discriminatory poverty? I think so. Here’s why.
This highly specialized poverty exists only in the minds of the race baiters and democrats. It is blown out of proportion and magnified by the liberal media. They harp on it and point out the failure of the federal government (that is Bush’s government) to meet the needs of these poor black people. The implication is that if we throw more money (higher taxes) at the problem and elect a caring human being (a Democrat like oh say Hilary Clinton) then these poor people wouldn’t be so poor. So if during the next election cycle, we put in office a liberal caring Democrat who will raise taxes and establish more government programs for the poor (maybe the return of Night Basketball!) then I guarantee we will not see poor black people who have been discriminated against. Don’t get me wrong, the number of poor people will stay the same or maybe even grow as higher taxes force lower income earners onto the public assistance programs. But the media won’t spotlight poor discriminated black people. On the contrary, I am sure the media will harp on how happy and content poor people are, especially blacks, since the Democrats got in the White House.
Sounds far fetched? Remember all the homeless people who haunted the Reagan and Bush 41 administrations? Where did they go during the Clinton years? Nowhere. They were just as homeless only without the media coverage. The principle is the same here. The left gripes and complains and promises change but delivers none. They use the plight of minority poor as a talking point in their overall agenda to create the nanny state. When they hold the White House, all is good and the plight of minority poor doesn’t seem newsworthy. It’s like they have gone away. But when the Democrats are not in the White House, they have to point out the plight of the poor Blacks to make it seem that the Republicans aren’t doing enough.
The poor in this country are poor not because they are black or any particular color. They are poor because they will not take the steps needed to rise above poverty. It can be done. BEEN THERE DONE THAT! When I was young we had real Black leaders who inspired young blacks to rise above what was dealt us. The emphasis was education, and economics, NOT entitlements. And there were non-black people and organizations that were willing to help. I received a scholarship to attend a prep school instead of going to an inner city high school. An opportunity that I had to take advantage of or risk falling into the same welfare trap that now has completely consumed people I went to elementary and junior high school with. I am not wealthy but I am a long way from poor.
I do not believe there is a way to defeat poverty on a national or global level. I do believe that personal poverty can be defeated. A person who is poor does not need to stay poor. So if I could give advice to the poor blacks of New Orleans I would say get Jesus. His promises are better than the governments. Want to be sure your needs are met? Trust Jesus. Philippians 4:19 says
Next get an education. And the first most important thing to be learned is that there are consequences to every action we perform. Opportunities come in windows. These windows close quickly if we make wrong decisions early on. Understand that your actions today could limit your opportunities tomorrow. It is no coincidence that single people who do not have multiple children from multiple partners have move opportunities to rise above poverty. A single woman of any color with seven kids has very few options. The same is true for a man with half a dozen child support payment orders waiting for any income he might legitimately make. Stay clean (and by clean I mean stay celibate) because a pregnancy immediately chains you to a child, to a partner and if you are female it chains you to public support if you have no income of your own. Once that chain is forged it becomes increasingly harder to break out of the poverty trap. Remember that opportunities are available but YOU have to take advantage of them. When I was young, a black leader whom I admired said to me, “It is a mistake to think that the government owes you education no matter what the law says. It is your responsibility to TAKE an education.” An education is an important step out of poverty. A healthy work ethic is essential and knowing that going to work every day is a more sure way to beat poverty than getting a monthly check and trying to win the lottery.
How do "we" eliminate the "deep, persistent poverty having roots in racial discrimination" such as we've seen in the Gulf Coast region over the past three weeks?
The answer is: We can’t. There has never been a historical precedent for eliminating poverty. Even the wealthiest nations have areas of dismal poverty. Jesus Himself said;
For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always. Mark 14:7
So if God Incarnate says that there will always be poor, I’m confident that no plan, program or government agency will eliminate poverty in this country.
But the question has a bit of a spin to it. It suggests that the poverty we have been made aware of in the past three weeks (mainly the Hurricane Katrina victims in New Orleans who were “too poor” to evacuate) is based on racial discrimination. Can we eliminate racially based discriminatory poverty? I think so. Here’s why.
This highly specialized poverty exists only in the minds of the race baiters and democrats. It is blown out of proportion and magnified by the liberal media. They harp on it and point out the failure of the federal government (that is Bush’s government) to meet the needs of these poor black people. The implication is that if we throw more money (higher taxes) at the problem and elect a caring human being (a Democrat like oh say Hilary Clinton) then these poor people wouldn’t be so poor. So if during the next election cycle, we put in office a liberal caring Democrat who will raise taxes and establish more government programs for the poor (maybe the return of Night Basketball!) then I guarantee we will not see poor black people who have been discriminated against. Don’t get me wrong, the number of poor people will stay the same or maybe even grow as higher taxes force lower income earners onto the public assistance programs. But the media won’t spotlight poor discriminated black people. On the contrary, I am sure the media will harp on how happy and content poor people are, especially blacks, since the Democrats got in the White House.
Sounds far fetched? Remember all the homeless people who haunted the Reagan and Bush 41 administrations? Where did they go during the Clinton years? Nowhere. They were just as homeless only without the media coverage. The principle is the same here. The left gripes and complains and promises change but delivers none. They use the plight of minority poor as a talking point in their overall agenda to create the nanny state. When they hold the White House, all is good and the plight of minority poor doesn’t seem newsworthy. It’s like they have gone away. But when the Democrats are not in the White House, they have to point out the plight of the poor Blacks to make it seem that the Republicans aren’t doing enough.
The poor in this country are poor not because they are black or any particular color. They are poor because they will not take the steps needed to rise above poverty. It can be done. BEEN THERE DONE THAT! When I was young we had real Black leaders who inspired young blacks to rise above what was dealt us. The emphasis was education, and economics, NOT entitlements. And there were non-black people and organizations that were willing to help. I received a scholarship to attend a prep school instead of going to an inner city high school. An opportunity that I had to take advantage of or risk falling into the same welfare trap that now has completely consumed people I went to elementary and junior high school with. I am not wealthy but I am a long way from poor.
I do not believe there is a way to defeat poverty on a national or global level. I do believe that personal poverty can be defeated. A person who is poor does not need to stay poor. So if I could give advice to the poor blacks of New Orleans I would say get Jesus. His promises are better than the governments. Want to be sure your needs are met? Trust Jesus. Philippians 4:19 says
But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Next get an education. And the first most important thing to be learned is that there are consequences to every action we perform. Opportunities come in windows. These windows close quickly if we make wrong decisions early on. Understand that your actions today could limit your opportunities tomorrow. It is no coincidence that single people who do not have multiple children from multiple partners have move opportunities to rise above poverty. A single woman of any color with seven kids has very few options. The same is true for a man with half a dozen child support payment orders waiting for any income he might legitimately make. Stay clean (and by clean I mean stay celibate) because a pregnancy immediately chains you to a child, to a partner and if you are female it chains you to public support if you have no income of your own. Once that chain is forged it becomes increasingly harder to break out of the poverty trap. Remember that opportunities are available but YOU have to take advantage of them. When I was young, a black leader whom I admired said to me, “It is a mistake to think that the government owes you education no matter what the law says. It is your responsibility to TAKE an education.” An education is an important step out of poverty. A healthy work ethic is essential and knowing that going to work every day is a more sure way to beat poverty than getting a monthly check and trying to win the lottery.
Friday, September 16, 2005
Blood Pressure...Rising...Must Control... Trigger Finger...
The Skipper over at >Barking Moonbat Early Warning System listed this story as the "Most Ridiculous Item of the Day." Brian McGrory's Injustice For Almost All details a disgusting turn of events revolving around Daniel LaPlant and a battery of high dollar lawyers.
Daniel LaPlante is a convicted triple murderer and not just any triple murderer, either. He broke into a neighbor’s house in rural Townsend in 1987, raped and executed the pregnant mother who lived there, then drowned her 7-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son in separate bathtubs. He smirked at the jury that convicted him. [snip]
In 2001, LaPlante complained about his safety in prison, and he was placed under extensive lockup. Unhappy with that, he sued state officials in federal court. Among other complaints, he said he wasn’t given unfettered access to the prison law library. He said he was mislabeled as a sex offender. He complained that officials intercepted ‘’sexually explicit” photographs mailed to him. He said a guard stole his shower shoes.
Palmer & Dodge took the case, supposedly pro bono, though please read on. In fact, it didn’t just take the case, it seemed to devote itself to it, assigning a partner, a senior associate, a midlevel associate, and a junior associate—four lawyers in all. Before I go on, spare me the argument from all the Lexus Liberals that even the most heinous criminals have the right to legal representation. They do. But is a convicted murderer really entitled to a battery of downtown lawyers because he wasn’t getting access to the library and his pornographic pictures in the mail?
Palmer & Dodge won the suit, and, lo and behold, its pro bono work wasn’t free any more. Federal law allows a firm to submit a bill when it wins a civil rights case, and it did: $125,000 in all. Judge Gertner ordered the state to pay $99,981 of it. That bears repeating: State taxpayers spent $100,000 on behalf of a convicted killer who slaughtered a pregnant woman and her kids.
‘’We did it as efficiently as we could,” said George Olson, a Palmer & Dodge partner. ‘’When we took the case, we didn’t expect to be compensated.”
Of course not.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
PGH: Hunger Strike
PGH : Hunger Strike
Gitmo detainees go on a hunger strike. Michael Moore checks into a fat farm. Coincidence? Yeah probably but only if we allow it.
Using every ounce of my journalistic fact-finding abilities, I have discovered from the comfort of my den what the real reason is for the hunger strike. Allah hates fat people. That’s right. The Gitmo detainees are fully aware that Allah does not allow his 72 virgin prize to be wasted on fat sweaty slobs.
Three squares a day with entrees like Orange Chicken tends to go straight to the butt of most Islamofacist detainees, especially if all they do is read and pray. Rather than exercise, which would make it appear to the outside world that the U.S. actually cares about their health, the detainees have decided to starve the weight off.
And while Michael Moore has never met a donut he didn’t like, he has also never met an Islamic terrorist he didn’t want to emulate. So in solidarity to his Islamic freedom fighting brethren Moore is trying to ditch his gut but not actually starve in the process.
This has been a Precision Guided Humor Assignment
Gitmo detainees go on a hunger strike. Michael Moore checks into a fat farm. Coincidence? Yeah probably but only if we allow it.
Using every ounce of my journalistic fact-finding abilities, I have discovered from the comfort of my den what the real reason is for the hunger strike. Allah hates fat people. That’s right. The Gitmo detainees are fully aware that Allah does not allow his 72 virgin prize to be wasted on fat sweaty slobs.
Yea though the obese may martyr themselves against the infidel, Allah will not suffer a single virgin to reward he who is like unto a pig. Verily woe be unto you, porker. –book of Bool Shiite somewhere in the Koran.
Three squares a day with entrees like Orange Chicken tends to go straight to the butt of most Islamofacist detainees, especially if all they do is read and pray. Rather than exercise, which would make it appear to the outside world that the U.S. actually cares about their health, the detainees have decided to starve the weight off.
And while Michael Moore has never met a donut he didn’t like, he has also never met an Islamic terrorist he didn’t want to emulate. So in solidarity to his Islamic freedom fighting brethren Moore is trying to ditch his gut but not actually starve in the process.
This has been a Precision Guided Humor Assignment
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
It Is Rumored...
Did you hear that Kanye West is really the guy who played Steve Urkel on that old sitcom, Family Matters?Sadie offers photographic evidence at her blog Fistful of Fortnights. Warning: it is White Trash Wednesdays over there. And while I am not acutally white, despite what Howard Dean says about Republicans, I did try to connect to my inner whiteness. I discovered however that I wasn't very trashy though.
Cary Grant You scored 13% Tough, 10% Roguish, 38% Friendly, and 42% Charming! |
| You are the epitome of charm and style, the smooth operator who steals the show with your sophisticated wit, quiet confidence and flirty sense of humor. You are able to catch any woman you want just by flashing that disarming smile, even if you're flashing it at a kindly aunt or engaging child at the time. When you walk into a room, women are instantly intrigued and even the men are impressed, but you're too nice a guy to steal anyone else's girl...unless the guy deserves it. You're stylish, yes, but you can also be a little bit nutty. However, you're primarily seen as dashing, suave and romantic. Your co-stars include Katharine Hepburn, Audrey Hepburn, and Grace Kelly, stylish women with a sense of fun. Find out what kind of classic dame you'd make by taking the Classic Dames Test. |
 |
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
HBS How Do You Feel About Hurricane Katrina
The Homespun Bloggers Symposium returns and with a vengeance. The question is; “How do you feel about Hurricane Katrina”.I feel mostly angry. Not at the destructive force of nature that devastated the Gulf coast, but at the destructive political entities that are continuing to use Katrina for their agenda. I am going to focus on blame.
Who is to blame for Katrina? God is. Only He controls the weather, only He decides when a person dies. The moonbats who want to place the blame on President Bush make me laugh. I do not think for one moment that greenhouse gases and global warming produced Katrina. We have had terrible hurricanes in the past, before Kyoto, and will continue to have them in the future. What kind of idiot attributes acts of nature to political policy? Apparently liberal Democrats.
Now who is to blame for the emergency response fiasco that occurred after Katrina? Where to start… Hmmm. Let’s start with the local authorities. Where the mayors and governors decided early to order evacuation, we saw less human suffering. In the case of New Orleans however; I think Nagin and Blanco waited too long. But I don’t entirely blame them. Most of the people evacuated safely. The ones that stayed were the issue. Who is to blame for them staying? Poverty? No. Despite liberal leadership’s assertion to the contrary poverty had little to do with the people who stayed. I personally know of people in New Orleans. They weren’t rich. But when came time to leave they got out. All of them, mothers, fathers, uncles, they ALL made it to Mississippi because they were determined not to lose anyone in the storm. But that was a personal decision, the same one faced by everyone in the storm’s path. To say “I am too poor to leave” is the same as saying “I intend to stay”. People without cars seem to have no problem getting around when it suits them.
Was the response time acceptable. No. Even the President said so. But who was to blame? Brown and FEMA? Governor Blanco? I don’t know. It strikes me as a huge comedy of errors where dozens of little details added up to a big disgusting whole. We had resources available but not allocated. Resources allocated and then redeployed elsewhere. We saw resources available but tied up by bureaucracy. We had people who were left unattended in the civic center. We had people in the superdome die. People were still in their homes when waters forced them to their roofs. But was there one place that we could point to and say this was to blame? I don’t think so. That is important because I don’t believe given the magnitude of the disaster and the short time in which all the destruction occurred and the duration of the storm that the mobilization of relief cold have happened much faster than it did.
Which brings me to my last point, was the slow response due to racism? No. Absolutely not. And this point is the greatest source of my anger. What evidence do the race-baiters have that this response was racially biased? None. They only make statements that can’t be proven like “If most of the people stranded were rich white folks then the government would have acted much sooner!” Or “Nobody cares about poor Black people”. Then alleged Black leaders like Jesse Jackson drop in for a quick photo-op and repeat the racism meme. I blame those leaders for continued racial tensions and state of victimhood that many of my people cannot seem to rise above.
How do I feel about Katrina? I feel that the blame game she left in her wake has done more damage than her winds. I feel it will take longer to recover from the opportunistic posturing of the liberals than it will to rebuild the economic infrastructure she washed away.
Who is to blame for Katrina? God is. Only He controls the weather, only He decides when a person dies. The moonbats who want to place the blame on President Bush make me laugh. I do not think for one moment that greenhouse gases and global warming produced Katrina. We have had terrible hurricanes in the past, before Kyoto, and will continue to have them in the future. What kind of idiot attributes acts of nature to political policy? Apparently liberal Democrats.
Now who is to blame for the emergency response fiasco that occurred after Katrina? Where to start… Hmmm. Let’s start with the local authorities. Where the mayors and governors decided early to order evacuation, we saw less human suffering. In the case of New Orleans however; I think Nagin and Blanco waited too long. But I don’t entirely blame them. Most of the people evacuated safely. The ones that stayed were the issue. Who is to blame for them staying? Poverty? No. Despite liberal leadership’s assertion to the contrary poverty had little to do with the people who stayed. I personally know of people in New Orleans. They weren’t rich. But when came time to leave they got out. All of them, mothers, fathers, uncles, they ALL made it to Mississippi because they were determined not to lose anyone in the storm. But that was a personal decision, the same one faced by everyone in the storm’s path. To say “I am too poor to leave” is the same as saying “I intend to stay”. People without cars seem to have no problem getting around when it suits them.
Was the response time acceptable. No. Even the President said so. But who was to blame? Brown and FEMA? Governor Blanco? I don’t know. It strikes me as a huge comedy of errors where dozens of little details added up to a big disgusting whole. We had resources available but not allocated. Resources allocated and then redeployed elsewhere. We saw resources available but tied up by bureaucracy. We had people who were left unattended in the civic center. We had people in the superdome die. People were still in their homes when waters forced them to their roofs. But was there one place that we could point to and say this was to blame? I don’t think so. That is important because I don’t believe given the magnitude of the disaster and the short time in which all the destruction occurred and the duration of the storm that the mobilization of relief cold have happened much faster than it did.
Which brings me to my last point, was the slow response due to racism? No. Absolutely not. And this point is the greatest source of my anger. What evidence do the race-baiters have that this response was racially biased? None. They only make statements that can’t be proven like “If most of the people stranded were rich white folks then the government would have acted much sooner!” Or “Nobody cares about poor Black people”. Then alleged Black leaders like Jesse Jackson drop in for a quick photo-op and repeat the racism meme. I blame those leaders for continued racial tensions and state of victimhood that many of my people cannot seem to rise above.
How do I feel about Katrina? I feel that the blame game she left in her wake has done more damage than her winds. I feel it will take longer to recover from the opportunistic posturing of the liberals than it will to rebuild the economic infrastructure she washed away.
Vehicular Assault While Drunk Driving Not Serious
Right Angle Blog, another blog I found locally with Blog Map Asks and answers How Liberal is Cuyahoga's Court System? The author writes:
Check out the whole thing.
Remember Robbie Moore from last year? She was the woman who drove drunk from Hopkins to E.9th the wrong way on 71 last year, resulting in the death of a newlywed couple. Judge Kathleen Ann Sutula sentenced her to 20 years, which was the maximum sentence.
A few days, the Cuyahoga County Court of Appeals vacated and reversed that sentence.
Check out the whole thing.
Monday, September 12, 2005
Headlines for Monday 9/12/2005
Cow Power: Battery Runs on Bovine Stomach Bacteria
New ad campaign says "Electricity: The Other Cow Juice"
"Jerk-O-Meter" Measures Phone Rudeness
New technology can block DNC Pollsters and fundraisers
Katrina Weakened, But Didn't Wipe Out, Invasive Rodents
Rats listened to evacuation order before storm hit
Should Labs Treat Chimps More Like Humans?
Democrats say yes as they move to register 100000 new primate voters
Using Hands As Bait, "Noodlers" Stalk Giant Catfish
Obsessed captain won't rest until he has captured Moby Tom
Chefs Battle at Testicle Cook-Off
These guys got balls
Scientists find growing land bulge in Oregon
Prescibe massive amounts of Benzoyl Peroxide to combat Earth Zit
Pentagon Studies Pre-Emptive Nuclear Strikes
Says it is feasible to eliminate all major moonbat concentrations in all blue states
Illusionist Horn walks into Vegas theater
He says "I want to see the 40 year old virgin". The manager getting dressed says "You just missed me"
That's it for Headlines today. Remember to visit the usual suspects, basil, Moe, moehawk and The Capitalist for more headliney goodness!
New ad campaign says "Electricity: The Other Cow Juice"
"Jerk-O-Meter" Measures Phone Rudeness
New technology can block DNC Pollsters and fundraisers
Katrina Weakened, But Didn't Wipe Out, Invasive Rodents
Rats listened to evacuation order before storm hit
Should Labs Treat Chimps More Like Humans?
Democrats say yes as they move to register 100000 new primate voters
Using Hands As Bait, "Noodlers" Stalk Giant Catfish
Obsessed captain won't rest until he has captured Moby Tom
Chefs Battle at Testicle Cook-Off
These guys got balls
Scientists find growing land bulge in Oregon
Prescibe massive amounts of Benzoyl Peroxide to combat Earth Zit
Pentagon Studies Pre-Emptive Nuclear Strikes
Says it is feasible to eliminate all major moonbat concentrations in all blue states
Illusionist Horn walks into Vegas theater
He says "I want to see the 40 year old virgin". The manager getting dressed says "You just missed me"
That's it for Headlines today. Remember to visit the usual suspects, basil, Moe, moehawk and The Capitalist for more headliney goodness!
Sunday, September 11, 2005
Family Rituals
Over the Labor Day Weekend I had to engage in a family ritual. This ritual occurs every two years. It starts with the gathering of relatives. And like rituals for other families it involves food. Now some families combine their ritual gathering with a specific kind of food, like pig roasts and clam bakes. My family ritual involves bears. Famous bears.
Here we see the object of this year’s ritual, one Winnie the Pooh. Unlike most clan based hunts where the men paint themselves up and drink and stumble through the woods after a helpless animal, it was the woman who captured the Pooh bear. They dragged it back to camp alive.
Once in camp, instead of quick merciful killing, cleaning and eating, Pooh was tied up and suspended from a tree branch. This poor creature was then made to suffer. One by one beginning with the youngest, members of our clan approached Pooh and swung a stick at him. The First, a young, girl we’ll call her Sally, swings at the hapless bear and misses.
To enhance the sport, the clan members are spun around until they lose their sense of direction. Here a young girl, we’ll cal her Shaneekwa, swings at the defenseless creature.
If that spectacle wasn’t enough, an adult raises and lowers Pooh at a whim. Here a mighty blow from Deairetoine is narrowly avoided.
Pooh is not so lucky the next time as the twins, Corvassier and Grand Marnier each strike Pooh until his entrails begin to leak out.
Here the clan children rush to gather up the spilt guts of Winnie the Pooh. An interesting note; apparently Pooh’s diet of pure honey had so sugar-coated his internal organs, that every piece that spilt out was like candy.
Once Pooh’s life oozed out of him, his carcass was stripped of all meat which was cooked and served to the clan elders. You may be surprised to learn that different parts of the bear taste differently. Some parts taste like hamburger, some like ribs. Oddly though my bear tasted like Churches Chicken.
Here we see the object of this year’s ritual, one Winnie the Pooh. Unlike most clan based hunts where the men paint themselves up and drink and stumble through the woods after a helpless animal, it was the woman who captured the Pooh bear. They dragged it back to camp alive.
Once in camp, instead of quick merciful killing, cleaning and eating, Pooh was tied up and suspended from a tree branch. This poor creature was then made to suffer. One by one beginning with the youngest, members of our clan approached Pooh and swung a stick at him. The First, a young, girl we’ll call her Sally, swings at the hapless bear and misses.
To enhance the sport, the clan members are spun around until they lose their sense of direction. Here a young girl, we’ll cal her Shaneekwa, swings at the defenseless creature.
If that spectacle wasn’t enough, an adult raises and lowers Pooh at a whim. Here a mighty blow from Deairetoine is narrowly avoided.
Pooh is not so lucky the next time as the twins, Corvassier and Grand Marnier each strike Pooh until his entrails begin to leak out.
Here the clan children rush to gather up the spilt guts of Winnie the Pooh. An interesting note; apparently Pooh’s diet of pure honey had so sugar-coated his internal organs, that every piece that spilt out was like candy.
Once Pooh’s life oozed out of him, his carcass was stripped of all meat which was cooked and served to the clan elders. You may be surprised to learn that different parts of the bear taste differently. Some parts taste like hamburger, some like ribs. Oddly though my bear tasted like Churches Chicken.
Thursday, September 08, 2005
Right Wing Nut House: KATRINA: RESPONSE TIMELINE
If you want an comprehensive timeline of what happened to New Orleans then read KATRINA: RESPONSE TIMELINE from Right Wing Nut House. Rick does an excellant job of putting things in order and citing his sources. This is evident by the bazillion links and trackbacks to his post. I will have a comment on all the blame game name calling as soon as I get my cable modem working again.
Hat Tip Moorewatch
Hat Tip Moorewatch
Technical Difficulties
Friday, September 02, 2005
Headlines for Friday 9/02/2005
Judy Garland's Famed Ruby Slippers Stolen
Clinton, Boxer, Pelosi, and other wicked witches questioned
Spindly bush saves police officers
A very fit and trim President rescues cops
Fats Domino Apparently Rescued by Boat
Was found along with his thrill on Blueberry Hill
Aid Efforts Halt Tenn. 'Idol' Auditions
American TV audiences have been rescued
Bus Convoy to Move Thousands From Superdome to Astrodome
Houston refugees expected to win with home field advantage
Louisiana Gov: 'Shoot To Kill'
Looter season opens, no limit
Clever Whale Uses Fish to Catch Seagulls
Rosie O'Donnell hires Charlie Tuna to capture Jonathon Livingston
Ohio High School Has 64 Pregnant Students
We now know what 64 girls did on their summer vacations
First Chimp Fossils Found; Humans Were Neighbors
Humans ask to return fossils of power tools they borrowed
Zoo stocks small animals to cut pollution
Will stock hybrids next for fuel efficiency
That's it for Headlines today. Remember to visit the usual suspects, basil, Moe, moehawk and The Capitalist for more headliney goodness!
Clinton, Boxer, Pelosi, and other wicked witches questioned
Spindly bush saves police officers
A very fit and trim President rescues cops
Fats Domino Apparently Rescued by Boat
Was found along with his thrill on Blueberry Hill
Aid Efforts Halt Tenn. 'Idol' Auditions
American TV audiences have been rescued
Bus Convoy to Move Thousands From Superdome to Astrodome
Houston refugees expected to win with home field advantage
Louisiana Gov: 'Shoot To Kill'
Looter season opens, no limit
Clever Whale Uses Fish to Catch Seagulls
Rosie O'Donnell hires Charlie Tuna to capture Jonathon Livingston
Ohio High School Has 64 Pregnant Students
We now know what 64 girls did on their summer vacations
First Chimp Fossils Found; Humans Were Neighbors
Humans ask to return fossils of power tools they borrowed
Zoo stocks small animals to cut pollution
Will stock hybrids next for fuel efficiency
That's it for Headlines today. Remember to visit the usual suspects, basil, Moe, moehawk and The Capitalist for more headliney goodness!
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Self Help
baldilocks mentions that
Musicians Harry Connick, Jr., Wynton Marsalis and country music artist Tim McGraw—Louisiana natives all—will be (presumably) performing in a benefit for Hurricane Katrina victims.in her post Self Help There is something spiritual about the American ability to get it together and help our own. Most definitly an American thing. Miss Ochieng also takes Amazon to task about a lack of donation page for Katrina victims when it had one for tsunami victims last year. Amazon caved and voila ;Here's Amazon's donation page for Hurricane Katrina victims.
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